Dating services are known in the art and have existed for a number of years. Such services typically maintain a database of people who have expressed an interest in meeting other people with the view of eventually becoming romantically involved or married. In the past, most dating services operated via mail. However, more recently dating services have begun to utilize computerized mechanisms (e.g., a database) to store information about a variety of individuals. Such systems provide users with a way to search for a person who is compatible with the user's interests.
Some dating services provide users with access to the dating service's database via computer networks such as the Internet. Such network-based services provide user's with a way to locate people that may be compatible with the user's interests and likes and dislikes. In a typical on-line service, users register with the service and provide extensive background information about themselves. The information typically includes contact information and personal information such as the user's occupation, income, educational level, hobbies, interests, religion, children, smoking habits, drinking habits and appearance, including height, weight and race. In addition, these services inquire about the desired characteristics of prospective dates, including age, education, religion, race, politics, desire for children and smoking and drinking habits.
A problem with current network-based systems is that they do not provide an efficient way for users to initiate communication between other parties. For example, such systems lack a mechanism for allowing a 3rd party (the user) to locate a person compatible with a friend or associate and recommend that person to the friend or associate. Therefore, since such systems do not provide a way for 3rd party matchmaking, they do not have means to easily inform the user's friend or associate the user has recommended a possible match. Existing systems allow users to attempt to find a date that is compatible with their own interests, however such systems do not provide a way to locate and recommend a date to another person. Thus, there is a need for a network-based system that allows users to search for and recommend a date to another person.
Additionally, there is a need for a mechanism to keep the recommending party informed about whether the recipient expressed an interest in the recommendation. For example, it is desirable to keep a recommending party apprised of whether the recipient has taken further action based on the recommendation provided. Thus, there is also a need for a system that can track the status of the recommendation provided to another.